Rising from Philadelphia’s thriving hip-hop scene, trio Ground Up has been making waves with a series of independent mixtape and EP releases. On Wednesday, December 18, they hit the stage at Pittsburgh’s Altar Bar for a performance that’s certain to impress.

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Ground Up

Tell us about this upcoming show, at Altar Bar on December 18.

Azar: We’re doing a one-stop show with Hi-Rez in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has always been a really good market for us, and we always get a lot of love out there.
Malakai: This is probably our fourth or fifth time performing in Pittsburgh, actually.

That’s right, I recall you guys performing at the Shadow Lounge about a year ago. Do you remember when or what venue some of your earlier shows here were?

Malakai: We used to play at a place called the P. Café, I’m not sure if it’s still open. Probably back in, like, 2009, we used to come out to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was probably one of our first major stops outside of Philadelphia.
Azar: We’ve had a lot of good times there, man. We all have our respective friends that went to the University of Pittsburgh as well. We did a couple of shows at the P. Café, and, like, the owner was mad cool. It would just always be a good time, because we knew a lot of people and they would always make sure that we had a good time. We spent a lot of time on Semple Street getting fucked up.

We’re all sports fans; what do you guys think of Pittsburgh and Philly as cross-state rivals?

Malakai: Well, I grew up in Baltimore and then moved to Philadelphia. So, as far as football is concerned, I absolutely can’t stand the fucking Steelers.
Azar: And I got a sensitive subject with the Steelers, my girl is actually a huge Steelers fan. And I’m a ride-or-die Eagles fan. I can’t stand Steeler Nation. So, I’m a hater, you guys got the rings (laughs).

Is there anything about Wednesday’s performance that will be unique from your past shows here?

Azar: Yeah, man, we got a little surprise for the show coming up. We’re gonna be rocking with a drummer alongside of us for one of the first times ever. So, that adds a whole new dimension to our live show and really gives us a lot more opportunity to get the crowd engaged and have a lot more fun with everything.

And your producer Bij Lincs handles the DJing duties?

Azar: Yeah, Bij is DJing, and he’s on the keys as well from time to time. He’s our DJ and beatmaker, always. So, he’s gonna be rocking the tables with the live drummer as well.

Earlier this year you guys collaborated on a song with Pittsburgh rapper Beedie. Have any other Pittsburgh artists caught you guys’ attention?

Azar: Obviously we all got a lot of inspiration from watching Wiz grow into the artist that he is. I think a lot of rappers could say that. But us in particular, I know that we were listening to Wiz way back when, back when “Pittsburgh Sound” was dropping. So that was really cool to see a guy like Wiz’s progression. Also, Beedie’s got a real dope movement. And Devin Miles, who we’re gonna hopefully have a track with in the near future, he’s really talented. And of course, man, Mac Miller. You’ve gotta give him all the respect in the world for what he’s done.

Your Promiseland EP was came out just a couple months ago. Are there any new releases or upcoming projects you’re working on?

Malakai: We recently released a clothing line of our own, called MDCCXI. As far as music, we're planning to release our new project around the middle of next year. You can download all of our music on groundupsounds.com for free.